Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle drive trains and more particularly to an engine to wheel axle direct drive.
Power transmission patents generally disclose a plurality of gears and pinions selectively engaged for transmitting power from an input to an output shaft. U.S. Pat. No. 3,106,102 discloses turbo couplings mounted on a sleeve surrounding a shaft for transmitting power to an output shaft by a plurality of gear wheels. U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,113 discloses a plurality of housing contained pinion gears axially connecting drive shafts in turn connected with a power turbine and a compressor turbine so that either turbine drives the other. U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,334 discloses a motor driven shaft rotating several gears to power an output shaft which gradually slows down with increase in motor speed until at a certain motor speed the output shaft will stop and then reverse direction with further increase of motor speed.
This invention is distinctive over the above named patents by the engine drive shaft concentrically surrounding and rotating independently of a shaft to be driven with power transmitted from the engine drive shaft to the driven shaft by a clutch so that the driven shaft rotates at the speed of the engine.